MANDELA LIVES ON

 (We never had him for so long a time but he left such a lifelong legacy.)

HIS WORDS:

Never, never and never again shall it be that the beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.

Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.

I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Let freedom reign. The sun never sets on so glorious a human achievement.

We can’t afford to be killing each other.

To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.

I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.

When the water starts boiling, it is foolish to turn off the heat.

Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contract. Your freedom and mine can never be separated.

There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one which you are capable of living.

It always seems impossible until it is done.

After climbing a great hill, one finds that there are many more to climb.

There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere and many of us will have to pass through the valleys of shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires. 

 

We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always right to do what is right.

There are times when a leader must move out ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way.

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down got back up again.

The only time to stop fighting for change is when you start seeing it.

I’m not a saint, I’m just a sinner who kept on trying.

No one is free until we are all free.

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.

One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.

A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.

This titanic effort that has brought liberation to South Africa, and ensured the total liberation of Africa, constitutes an act of redemption for the black people of the world.

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.